ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Two Orange County firefighters have been suspended after investigators found they sold tickets given to them by Disney as a “thank you” for their response to the Pulse attack.
Glen Kiture and Christopher Huntley were two of thousands of first responders that were given four free passes to Walt Disney World.
The tickets only came with one caveat: They could not be sold.
According to an internal investigation, Kiture and Huntley sold some of their tickets in March.
The situation came to light when a family was denied entry to the theme park because the tickets had been flagged as stolen, officials said.
They knew Kiture was a firefighter and complained to the department, which started an investigation into his actions.
The amount of money the firefighters received for the tickets they sold was not released.
Kiture was suspended for a 24-hour shift and Huntley, who already works on modified duty, received a six-day suspension.
Kiture had been fired in 2015 on allegations that he cheated on an exam to become certified in pediatric advanced life support.
The firefighters’ union helped him get his job back after six months and get his termination reduced to a written reprimand.
He returned to full-time status at the department 11 days before the Pulse attack.
Orange County resident Sharon Moody said she understood why the firefighters may have sold their tickets.
“They do a lot and they’re underpaid, and that is the reason why they probably sold those tickets,” she said.
Erica Cruz, though, said the tickets came with a condition, and the firefighters should have abided by it.
“If it’s given to you and they tell you you can’t use it, you kind of have to go with that,” she said. “There’s always going to be somebody, in every job, that’s going to take advantage of something, somehow.”
The investigations into Kiture and Huntley have been closed, but the overall investigation is ongoing as at least one other firefighter is being questioned about the tickets.
Cox Media Group
